A talk and performance earlier this month by iconic folk singer and poet Judy Collins at the Women Over 70: Aging Reimagined Symposium at Plymouth Place Senior Living in La Grange Park offered more than just entertainment. It was inspiring, audience members said.
Collins, 86, spoke for a full hour, after which she signed copies of her first book of poetry, “Sometimes it’s Heaven: Poems of Love, Loss, and Redemption.”
She opened her talk by leading the audience in a spirited rendition of “Clouds (Both Sides Now),” the Joni Mitchell composition she recorded in 1968. Her version, the first recorded version of the song, reached No. 8 on the U.S. pop charts and won her a 1969 Grammy for Best Folk Performance.
“I’m just delighted to be here. Actually I’m delighted to be anywhere,” she said, drawing a laugh.
Collins spoke of recent personal loss, noting that her husband, Louis, died last December on the day he turned 89.
The first poem she read was “The Girl That I Was,” a sense/memory work about her early life, in which Collins wrote, “the girl that I was had the courage to live fast and wild. She tore into life with nerve … she took chances … heart wasn’t broken by grief.”
She went on to read selections from more of her poems while speaking of her journey through the worlds of music and publishing.
Collins was born in Seattle moving with her family to Denver when her blind singer/pianist father took a job in Denver radio in 1949.
She originally studied classical piano before becoming interested in folk music. She joined the folk scene in New York City in the early 1960s, and soon launched a career that would include 21 albums and 14 charted singles; along with “Clouds,” the most famous being Steven Sondheim’s Broadway ballad “Send in the Clowns.”
Collins talked about the people she had met along the way, including Jim Henson of Muppets fame, Elton John, Leonard Cohen and Don McClean.
And she didn’t shy away from the challenges she faced, including alcoholism, tuberculosis, and a growth on her vocal cords that threatened her career.
Responding to a question from the audience, Collins said she was inspired to record her own compositions by Cohen, the Canadian poet, songwriter and performer.
When Collins met Cohen, he hesitantly played his composition, “Suzanne,” and wondered if it was even a song.
“I said, Leonard, this is a song and I’m recording it tomorrow,” she said.
After the song became a hit, Cohen said to her, “I don’t understand why you’re not writing your own songs.”
Collins summed up her philosophy about the work she produced by pointing out the importance of self-satisfaction.
“That’s really the way you have to look at it,” she said. “If I like it, it was a success.”
Other activities at the day-long symposium included a book signing by author Barbara Spaulding, breakout sessions on Demystifying Cannabis, Sacred Aging, Golden Threads of Storytelling, and Intimacy, Pleasure, and Sex.
Plymouth Place CEO Jay Biere was happy with the turnout of 150 people.
“I think it’s great,” he said. “We’re honored to have the women over 70. For us, it’s a targeted audience.”
The audience gave Collin’s talk an enthusiastic two thumbs up.
Carolyn Torkelson, a doctor and co-author of “Beyond Menopause: New Pathways to Holistic Health,” said Collins made her reflect on her own life.
“I thought she was just wonderful,” she said. “She tells so many stories about the past and the people she connected with in the past that reflected on my life. The last story about Leonard Cohen and the work that he was doing and how that influenced her life, what she did is to take you back into your life. … She made me think, I’m going to write a poem about this or the other thing.”
Susanne Dumbleton admired how Collins mixed different genres in her talk.
“I thought that the integration of music and story and history and personalities was just fascinating,” she said. “The quality of her voice and the capacity to engage with the audience … I found it one of the most engaging hours I’ve spent in a long time.”
Hank Beckman is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.